XFDL

We want to be able to sign the whole XFDL document, not just the data, to create a secure agreement or contract between signing parties.

These extensions contain packages of functions that you can call from inside Extensible Forms Description Language (XFDL) forms.

In an XFDL form, user interface controls are called items, which are encoded using XML elements and attributes.

By adding an XML data model to the XFDL form, you can collect required data and place it in a separate block of XML in the form.

One such method for doing so is a simple XFDL button that submits the entire form to a servlet.

XFDL submissions. These typically submit the complete form to a processing application.

Converting each individual XFDL item to an XForm item is time-consuming, especially for large and complex forms applications.

You can convert a standard XFDL form without XForms to a form with XForms support by adding a model in the XForms view.

Because your custom function is used to access file information on the local system, you cannot embed it in an XFDL form.

XFDL supports high-precision layout, integrated computations and input validation, digital signatures, and other features.

When you run the PurchaseOrder. xfdl document on the server, you get the advantage of making the URL the same as the servlet name.

After you download the sample e-form (por. xfdl) for this article, open it with Workplace Forms Designer.

After placing the button on the form, right-click it and choose Convert Items - XFDL to ensure the button is of the proper type.

This significantly reduces your effort in writing custom code to perform the data extraction from the XFDL form.

XFDL is document-centric: It combines the form's presentation, logic, and data in a single file.

The XML data model makes XFDL forms integration with applications that offer an XML interface easier.

If you modify the design of the Purchase Orders e-form, you can publish a new version of the por. xfdl e-form.

This attribute is added to the XFDL tag in the form and identifies which locale the form was designed for.

Create an XFDL button item in the sample form by selecting a button from the palette and placing it on the form page.

You can include the XFDL file itself in the JSP page to maintain your navigation buttons, header, and footer.

graphicExamples. xfdl offers examples of simple bitmaps and formulas for controlling how they work online.

The default value is the e-form that was opened when you chose "Publish to document library, " in this case, por. xfdl.

This creates a link between the data node and the XFDL item.

You can select the submitted e-form por(submitted). xfdl to view its contents.

Next, bind each data node in the data instance to the XFDL items on the form.

When you publish the por. xfdl e-form, it displays in the Pending Drafts folder.

purchaseMulti. xfdl is a form consisting of several purchase orders.

When deployed to WebSphere Process Server, the forms file (xfdl) will be stored in the WebContent (or the selected web project) folder.

When you submit the por. xfdl e-form, it displays in the Pending Drafts folder.

Form fields are validated using the XFDL or XForms elements at the client side.

policy. xfdl is a sample insurance policy form.

We now demonstrate how to create extensions with FCI methods and how to use custom functions in XFDL forms.

After automatic conversion, the unconverted PDF element, such as unrecognized color space or images, creates an XML comment in the XFDL.

Browse and select the file named PurchaseOrder. xfdl.

When deployed, the forms file (xfdl) will be stored in the WebContent (or the selected Web project) folder.

por. xfdl is a sample purchase order form.

This step is necessary because the XML signature is enveloped within the XFDL document being signed.

XFDL was defined to standardize the process of digitally representing complex forms, such as business and government forms.

After the signature is generated, any changes to the XFDL document can make a signature fail to verify.

Figure 2 displays the XFDL form that is used with your extension.

Open the Source panel of the form editor and add an xml: lang attribute with a value of fr-FR value to the XFDL tag (see figure 23).

After you click the IBM Workplace Forms tab, open the Purchase Orders folder (see figure 3) to find por. xfdl.

Finally, you learned how to open the XFDL file in a JSP page and make the form submission independent of the server name and port number.

The leave application form we use is a typical XFDL form, and it is not XML data model-enabled. The form consists of five fields